Summary

• Lack of character-driven Roman video games beyond the strategy genre leaves fans craving more immersive experiences.
• The Roman Empire offers a rich history ripe for storytelling in various gaming genres.
• Despite challenges, developers should explore creating Roman RPGs to satisfy the demand for immersive Roman gaming experiences.

As a man rapidly approaching 30, I think about the Roman Empire a lot. I’ve been pondering the Romans even more than usual recently, as I plan a week-long hike along Hadrian’s Wall this summer. I’ve bought books (both fictꦓion and non-fiction), I’ve watched films (both historical drama and documentary), and then I looked at the video games.

I immediately noticed that there’s a dearth of Roman video games, other than in one specific genre that I’ll come onto a little later. I asked my colleagues for their favourites, and was answered with two hack-n-slashers from 2005, one of which wasn’t even about Romans, the bang average Ryse: Son of Rome, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Fallout: New Vegas, which I’ll allow on a ✅technicality but wasn’t what I was looking foꦦr.

When looking for good games about ancient Romans, the only offerings from the past 20 years are strategy games. Sure, battering someone with their own dismembered arm in Shadow of Rome sounds cool, but I’m not going to buy a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:PlayStation 2 in order to play it, especially with pre-owned prices the way they are. And, while I can lose myself in a strategy game every once in a while, I have to be in the mood for a Caesar or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Total War: Rome. I don’t doubt their quality, but the Romans deserve m𝐆ore than just strategy gam🅰es.

I understand that eliminating Total War: Rome from my list of Roman games is like saying there’s no good first-person shooters if you’re not counting 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Titanfall 2, but I want a character-driven story, not an impersonal battle simulator. Maybe I should not be asking where all the good Roman video games are, and shouldꦑ rather be enquiring as to why the only good Roman games are💛 strategy games.

In all my brainstorming, and with all the help of TheGamer team, we came up with just one great Roman video game that was not a grand strategy title: The Forgotten City. While my colleagues may have overlooked 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:TheGamer’s Game of the Year for 2021, the masterpiece of time loಞop storytelling is the best example of a Roman RPG we’ve ever had. How soon we forget…

I explored every possible timeline of The Forgotten City back in 2021, and while I’d be inclined to double dip, I wa𓂃nt more games like it. Roman RPGs are a goldmine, especially considering how popular that period of history is. What other historical period has gone viral due to the fact that men think about it so often?

What Roman Games Would We Like?

I’d like an Assassin’s Creed game set in the Roman Empire. Everybody’s got their favourite historical period they want Assassin’s Creed to dive into, and this is mine. You’re being sated with Shadows, let me have this.

I understand it’s an unrealistic ask. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Assassin’s Creed: Origins includes a brief foray into the Roman empire, and Brotherhood is set primarily in Rome, albeit in a very different time period. This makes a Roman Assassin’s Creed game all but impossible. Besides, it’s too similar to🌜 Ancient Greece to be worth its own entry when we could visit 14th century Mali or the 16th century Aztec Empire.

However, that shouldn’t stop other developers from diving into the rich history of ancient Rome. The Roman Empire spanned the entirety of southern Europe, most of the west, and even northern Africa. It lasted for a millennium. It’s ripe for storytelling, so if🌳 a developer can craft an RPG where you play a soldier serving Marcus Aurelius or a visual novel about Caesar’s court, please let me know.

Also, if there are any great Roman ga💞mes from the past 20 years (or, even better, ten) that have passed under our radar, please let me know. All I want is to don my plumed helmet, strap my gladius to my belt, and get to work as a legionnaire patrolling Hadrian’s Wall. Is that too much to ask?